Best Cheese Options For Cheese Injection?

[KingDuckford]

Made a few feeble attempts to inject cheese into a few types of fried food, and never had much luck using things like common cheddar.  I gave up with several failed, albeit not that diligently pursued efforts.  With a new passion for deep frying, and a nearly finished cook station in the basement, I'm looking into a more serious attempt this time.

 

One of the technical problems has been cheese coagulation in the syringe as the cheese cools through the syringe.  Even with keeping the plastic syringes in hot water and attempting to keep everything hot, the problem was hard to overcome with the medium cheddar I wanted to use.  I've run into some glass syringes, which will handle higher water temperatures for better effect, and am thinking about a stainless steel food syringe to help.  Still, I have reservations about how successful this will be...

 

Since I am going to take a more serious attempt, I'd like to ask any advice or suggestions on what cheeses (for flavor and injection purposes) I should consider, what is the best way to thin down a cheese and keep it thin enough for injection, but not so runny it simply dumps itself back into the hot oil?  Any insight would be highly appreciated.

 

I've also run into large voids in my home made turkey nuggets, where the raw ground turkey is moist enough, and the oil hot enough, that it leads to steam explosions inside the nugget that leaves hollows.  I was thinking this could be turned into an opportunity, and would take any suggestions for cheese or sauces that could be injected into these voids that would potentially compliment the dish. 

 

I'll be posting some of my finished work in the Dinner thread at some point when I can find time.  Thanks in advance. 

[blue_dolphin]

35 minutes ago, KingDuckford said:

Made a few feeble attempts to inject cheese into a few types of fried food

What types of fried food are you injecting?  Olives? Donuts?  
Are you injecting before frying, then chilling well to solidify the cheese before frying?  
Or injecting after frying?

 

Have you consulted the Melty Cheese Calculator and if so, what texture are you targeting?  You should be able to get a smooth texture with almost any cheese with that. 

 

 

[gfweb]

There are cheeses made for inclusion in sausages that don't melt. They are chunky, though , and wouldn't inject.

 

How about cheese powder?

Edited May 9, 2023 by gfweb (log)

[KingDuckford]

On 5/9/2023 at 1:20 PM, blue_dolphin said:

What types of fried food are you injecting?  Olives? Donuts?  
Are you injecting before frying, then chilling well to solidify the cheese before frying?  
Or injecting after frying?

 

Have you consulted the Melty Cheese Calculator and if so, what texture are you targeting?  You should be able to get a smooth texture with almost any cheese with that. 

 

 

Did not notice that until you mentioned it.  I'll give that a lookover, thanks!

 

On 5/9/2023 at 1:54 PM, gfweb said:

There are cheeses made for inclusion in sausages that don't melt. They are chunky, though , and wouldn't inject.

 

How about cheese powder?

Never thought about cheese powder.  Always a purist when it comes to cheese, so never considered a dry mix to work with.  I guess I should be more open to that.  But, I feel some mixing with regular cheese should be able to get me where I want to go eventually.

 

The texture of the cheese desired would be close to that of what a commercial fried ham and cheese ball would be at serving temperature, so I guess I have some work with the double boiler ahead of me to get there.

[gfweb]

How about injecting cheese, breading/battering,  then freezing. When you fry the outside will cook and seal like a mozzarella stick or a popper

[Kerry Beal]

Have you considered not injecting? Instead making a ball of cheese and wrapping in a coating of ham, breading and then frying?